RCVS and VN Council election results revealed
The successful candidates will formally take up their seats at the College's AGM in July.
The 2025 RCVS Council and VN Council election results have been announced, with four veterinary surgeons and two veterinary nurses elected by their peers.
There were a record 20 veterinary surgeon candidates standing for the four available elected places on Council this year. A total of 7,352 veterinary surgeons cast a vote, representing 19 per cent of those eligible.
The four candidates elected to stand for a four-year term on RCVS Council are:
Dr Tshidi Gardiner MRCVS – 2,037 votes
Dr Sam Bescoby MRVCS – 1,774 votes
Paddy Gordon MRCVS – 1,639 votes
Dr Danielle Greenberg MRCVS – 1,597 votes
For this year’s VN Council election, three candidates stood for the two available elected places. A total of 1,598 veterinary nurses cast their vote, representing 6.4 per cent of those eligible.
The two candidates elected to stand for a three-year term on VN Council are:
Bethan Pinhey RVN – 934 votes
Hannah Welsman – 844 votes
The successful candidates will formally take up their seats at the College’s Annual General Meeting on Friday, 4 July.
RCVS assistant registrar and returning officer for the elections, Simon Wiklund, said: “Thank you to all the candidates who stood for election this year – including the record number standing for RCVS Council – and all those who cast their votes.
“Members of the professions who spare their time to serve on our councils and committees are the backbone of our governance and decision-making structures. By bringing their experiences and their ideas to the fore they provide that invaluable professional input and insight into the decisions we make, and we look forward to working with those who have been elected.”
He added: “As part of the election process, we make considerable efforts to ensure that members of the professions are able to have their say during the election period and this year, in addition to the initial voting email, seven reminder emails were sent to veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses who hadn’t yet voted.
“We also did a series of social media posts asking veterinary surgeons and veterinary nurses to check their emails for reminders and, for the very few members of the professions for whom we hold no email address, we sent them instructions via post on how to vote online.”
Visit the RCVS Council election and the VN Council election webpages for the full voting report.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
